Keeping Your Mental Health a Priority at Work
We touched a bit on mental health in our employee engagement post, but we want to dive deeper since May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
Between work, children, housework, personal projects, etc., sometimes our mental health gets put on the back-burner. When we feel our best, we do our best, so we wanted to share some things you can do to stay mentally healthy.
Quick solutions you can do on your own time
Take a break!
If you’re able to, take a 5-minute break every hour! Whether you use it to catch up on social media, meditate, or have a snack, allow yourself 5-minutes to do what YOU want.
If you find yourself constantly overwhelmed, don’t be scared to set boundaries. There are only so many hours in the day — we can never do it all.
Jam to some tunes!
Sometimes taking a break from work isn’t an option — what else can you do? If you’re commuting to work, or need background noise, listen to music! Several studies show listening to music releases dopamine and serotonin (mood and focus boosters) in your brain.
Make a work playlist with all the songs you enjoy, and play it throughout the day or when you need a pick-me-up!
Aromatherapy
Unless you have a sensitivity to scent, you can’t go wrong with a good-smelling candle. Some candles offer different types of aromatherapy — lavender is calming, eucalyptus is stress-relieving, orange is energizing, etc. Pick your favorite scent and keep it by your workstation for relaxation and focus.
Take ten extra minutes to yourself!
We know this is easier said than done, but try either waking up 10 minutes earlier or getting ready for bed 10 minutes earlier. Ten minutes doesn’t seem like a lot, but the extra time does make a difference.
You can use the time to do a face mask, take a long shower, enjoy your morning coffee, or just some time to lay in bed and scroll through your phone.
What you can do for your employees
Mental health days
If you have the resources, we recommend scheduling mental health days. Whether you want to plan one once every quarter or once a month is up to you, but we recommend surveying your employees to see what would work best for them.
Practice mindfulness
Be mindful of your words and actions, and try your best to make everyone feel included. We’re human! We can be quick to judge or quick to respond. We encourage you to step back and reflect on the situation. Once you’re able to process it, you will be in a better position to offer assistance.
Mental health professionals
Consider adding mental health into your insurance package or provide mental health resources. Looking for help is hard, and it’s even more difficult to admit you need help. If the resources are there for the taking and easily accessible, people are more likely to utilize them.
To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, we encourage you to do something for yourself, no matter how big or small.
